Looking for a Future
by rosslynchandbeyond
Summary: Lyla wasn't used to being treated special. She didn't expect much out of her life. Then she found out she was a half-blood. And not only that, but she was the daughter of the Sea god...Poseidon. When she is introduced to Camp half-Blood and all of its wonders, she make many friends, including the sassy Leo Valdez and the charming Simon Lewis. Summary sucks...go read it now please!
1. I Drown, Kind Of

**Prologue**

Not so long ago, after the Titan War, Poseidon, the god of the seas, fell in love. This woman, was as beautiful as a sunrise. Her humor charmed many men and she had many suitors before Poseidon. After having a horrible relationship with a man who she swore she would marry, the woman vowed her life to the goddess, Artemis.

You may be wondering how a mere mortal could have contact with a goddess. Well, this woman was special and could see through the Mist. The Mist normally would have prevented mortals from seeing monsters and gods and goddesses, but this woman could see everything.

After three faithful years to Artemis, Poseidon could no longer control his love for the woman and he pursued her. The woman found him charming and humorous. Poseidon asked the woman to marry him. She agreed and quit the Hunters.

Eventually, after one year of marriage, Poseidon and the woman had a baby.

This baby was fairly small, but Hera herself blessed the child with good fortune, bravery, strength, beauty, and agility.

Three months after the baby was born, Poseidon was summoned by Zeus to Olympus. The woman was heartbroken, but she understood and let him go freely. The woman was left alone to raise her daughter.

But this isn't a story about the love of a god and a mortal. This is my story.

**Chapter One: I Drown…Kind Of**

It was like any other day in Pittsburgh. The city streets were roaring with life and the smell was just as bad.

When I woke up earlier that day, I was fairly certain that something was going to happen. I had combed through my dark hair while thinking of what else in my life could go wrong.

I mean, my mom and I were already living in a pretty crappy apartment. Her job barely paid enough and so she had to get a night job to be able to pay for our food. Our car was taken a while ago so I had gone back to walking again.

The only thing I still had that was worth anything was my bow which I kept tucked in the back of my closet. When we lived in Yellowstone, I could practice my shooting nearly everyday. But here, I had to come by the shooting range when my mom was on shift so she could get me in for free.

She taught me everything I knew about shooting. In fact, I was using the bow she used when she was younger. She told me stories about how she was part of a huge hunting group that traveled around and hunted. I had asked her why she wasn't and she got a sad look in her eyes. I hadn't asked again.

Walking to the bus stop, I realized, not that many people were gathered around as usual today. Normally, the streets were filled with people going from place to place to do who knows what. I was late for school and for once I might make it on time.

See, when it comes to school, I'm not the greatest. I have ADHD and dyslexia. Not a great combo. I can barely read anything and my ADHD makes it hard to do anything but shoot arrows and swim.

That's another thing I'm okay at. Swimming. I'm on my school's swim team. It just came naturally to me and I haven't stopped. It's like I can breathe underwater or something, which, of course is impossible.

Anyway, I was getting on the bus when I heard a noise from behind me. At first, I thought it was a dog, or a lizard, something normal. But then, after hearing the noise again, I realized, it wasn't human, or any other animal noise I'd ever heard before. I turned around to yell at the pet owner, but I didn't see an animal in sight.

'Hmm.' I thought, 'It must have been a pipe.'

No, Lyla Hamilton…You heard right…

Okay...so now I'm hearing voices. Not a good sign.

When the bus reached my school, I got off and sprinted into the brick building. The air conditioner was blasting. I shivered and went to the office to sign in.

My school likes to keep track of who's entering the school and who's leaving. We also have metal detectors, security guards guarding every entrance and police dogs come in everyday around lunch time to search lockers for guns or drugs. You could say I go to a troubled school.

It's a school for kids with...troubled pasts. I had gotten into a bit of trouble when we lived in Yellowstone. But that's a story for another time.

After I signed in, went through the metal detectors, and had a nice chat with one of the security guards, I waltzed to my locker to get out my books. I pulled them out and slammed my locker shut. Teens passed by, not even noticing me and talking to their friends. One girl, named Cindy, glared at me. I glared back, and she hissed in response. Like, an actual hiss.

I shook my head. I was hearing things. I was insane, that was the only explanation for what was going on.

"Lyla!" I heard someone yell from behind me. I turned around and grinned at Juniper. She was my one and only friend at this school. She was extremely shy and was obsessed with nature. She loved trees and literally would kill someone if they dropped a piece of paper. I loved her.

"Hey Juniper!"

"Sorry I'm late. My club went on for so much longer than I expected." She runs the garden club and has a lot of members dying for her expertise.

"It's okay. You're fans are dedicated to you."

"They aren't fans." She said, rolling her eyes. "They're just dedicated to gardening."

"Yeah, right." I said. We walked to our history class in silence. Not many people acknowledged us. We were pretty much nobodies in this place. Well, Juniper was a star to her gardening group.

We arrived and went to our assigned seats. I was placed in the back, much to my pleasure. I was never one to take part in the joys of school Juniper was right in front like the good girl she is. She was surrounded by her gardening buddies. I was surrounded by Cindy and her friends. They all sneered at me and kept looking at me all during class.

I tried to focus on Mr. Crone and his nasally voice but I couldn't get Cindy out of my head. She made noises and was staring at me with piercing black eyes. Wait black eyes?

"Miss Hamilton?"

I jumped, startled and looked at Mr. Crone.

"Yes, sir?"

"What is the answer to my question?"

I bit my lip and looked at my desk, then at the board. He had written something in Greek. Great. I squinted to try to read it. That's when the words that'd moving around, forming new words.

"I...I don't know sir."

He nodded and continued.

"Cindy what about you?"

"Oh that's easy Mr. Crone. The answer to your question: What demigod hero stole the Golden Fleece?, as it is written on the board in Greek." She looked at me with a stare, "Is Jason."

Mr. Crone smiled unnaturally, "That's correct."

I frowned and rolled my eyes. I bet she just guessed. Class went on. Juniper was talking to her gardening friends and I was sitting there, alone.

Class was almost over when Cindy stared at me again. But this time, instead of her bright blue eyes, pitch black eyes were in their place. She had a horrible grin on her face, and pointy teeth were poking through her lips. I shuddered and tried to ignore the looks she was giving me, with was full of hunger.

After class I ran out of there as fast as I could. Juniper called out to me and eventually she caught up to me on her tiny legs.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"Cindy...she...she had black eyes. She had weird teeth ad she growled at me I think. Juniper, I know I sound crazy, but-"

Her eyes widened and she did a small gasp. "Oh man. I should have seen this coming!"

"What? What's the problem?"

"We have to get you home. NOW!"

"Juniper! I don't know what you mean!"

She didn't answer me, she just started running as fast as she could. Which, was actually pretty fast. I had a hard time catching up to her.

"Juni, please, just tell me what's going on!"

Juniper seemed to struggle with something, but she shook her head. I'm sorry, I swore that I wouldn't tell you anything until I got you to Percy."

"Percy? Who's Percy?"

"He's" she paused, "I can't tell you. I'm so sorry. We have to get you to camp."

I followed her down the hall, farther and farther. There didn't seem to be and end. "Juniper where are we going?" I asked. She glanced at me but kept going.

"I think this place should be safe enough." She said.

"Juniper, if you don't tell me what's going on now, I swear I will..."

"Cindy is a-"

"LYLA HAMILTON!"

I spun around and saw Cindy marching towards us with her friends. She was smirking and...stripping? She was taking off her jacket and was reaching for her shirt.

"Whoa! Cindy! We're in the middle of the hall-"

She interrupted me with a roar. I jumped and Juniper whimpered. "I knew this would happen eventually."

"Juniper what does that mean?"

"SILENCE HALF-BLOOD!" Cindy shrieked.

I looked at her. No one talked to me like that. Man, if I had my bow and arrows now, Cindy would have an arrow sticking out the front of her forehead.

"Excuse me?" I asked. I was also sort of startled by the name she called me. Half-blood? a Half what exactly?

Then, Cindy and her friends tore out of their clothing, except they weren't naked. They were giants. Literally. Cindy was ugly, she had buck teeth and a huge pimple on her chin. Her hair had become stringy and greasy. Her friends were the same, except one had an eye patch.

They towered over me and Juniper. Cindy had a club in her hand and was stroking it like it was her child.

"Pitiful half-blood." She muttered. "You didn't even make it to Camp Half-Blood!"

Camp Half-Blood? "Juniper, what is she talking about?" I asked. Juniper whimpered again.

"Um, I'll tell you about it, but just one thing..."

"What?"

"RUN!" She took off at a fast pace and followed behind her. I could hear the giants marching behind us.

"Juniper what can we do? They'll catch us."

She looked at me with a sad expression. "I promised Grover..."

I wasn't sure who Grover was, but I could tell it made her sad to think about him.

"Lyla. I'll hold them off. Just run. Go home and tell your mom that it's time. Tell her Juniper said that you have to go to camp...NOW."

"I-I..." I looked at her. She gave me a pleading look and I nodded. "Okay, I'll see you soon?"

She hesitated, bit her lip and nodded, "Of course."

I smiled grimly and ran out the door. I could hear Juniper chanting something with a loud voice. My classmates were all screaming and teachers were trying to keep them calm.

"There's a fire!" Someone shouted. A fire? I didn't see a fire anywhere.

I kept running and eventually came the bathrooms. I hid in one of the stalls. I heard shrieks, shouts, and groans coming from the hall. Then silence. It was so quiet.

The silence was killing me, I had no idea if Juniper was okay or not. I heard small footsteps but they faded eventually. I stood up slowly and then...

"KILL HER!" I heard Cindy shouted. I screamed and the stall exploded.

I tried running away but a firm grip held me in place. Cindy lifted my body up and glared at my face.

"Puny demigod, didn't stand a chance."

I groaned, "What do you mean?"

She laughed and didn't answer my question. Instead, she shoved me face first into the nearest toilet. I couldn't help it, I just lost it. I felt a tug in my gut and I felt nauseous. Then BAM! Toilets started exploding all around me. The giants were retreating. Only Cindy stayed behind to finish the job.

"I will not be destroyed by a half blood."

I screamed and water burst into her face. All of the water from the sinks and toilets had formed a small river flowing right outside the building. Cindy had released me when the water hit her face. I was now flowing freely down the river that had been created. I tried feebly to grab onto anything that would hold me in place, but I just kept body drifted out of the building, down the street and straight to the Ohio River.

I guess I was tumbling around too much because after about twenty minutes of flailing around in the water, I passed out.

**So what do you think? Please, please, please R&R! **

**xxx**

**rosslynchandbeyond**


	2. I Have an Eating Contest With Fire Boy

**Here's another chapter! I hope you like it! **

**Chapter Two:I Have an Eating Contest with Fire Boy**

I dreamt of my mother. She was young, more bright than i had remembered her in pictures. She was running with a quiver full of silver arrows thrown on her back. In her hands, she held a beautifully carved bow. There were several other girls running with her, all the same age. All with the same arrows, bows and clothing. They all wore silver coats and boots.

"Clarice!" One of the girls called. That was my mother's name. My mom turned around and grinned at the girl. They were quickly approaching a large building. This building was made of sand and it glimmered in the sunshine.

As they approached the building, each girls drew their bows and placed an arrow on the string. They neared the front door and knocked quickly. There was silence until I heard large footsteps nearing the door.

"Who goes there?"

My mom started speaking, "We are the Hunters of Artemis. We demand a congress with his Lordship, Poseidon." Artemis? Wasn't that one of the Greek goddesses? And Poseidon, he was the god of the sea, right?

There was a banging sound, then silence. Slowly, the doors to the building began to open. My mother started walking, followed by all of the girls.  
They walked through large halls, and kitchens. Overall, the place was amazing. The girls were acting like it was something they saw everyday.

After a few minutes of walking, they reached a throne room. there was a large window in the center of the room. It let in an extraordinary amount of light. There was a long, red carpet leading to a gigantic throne at the far end of the room. There was a man in the chair.

He had dark brown hair, and a goatee. His sea green eyes were haunting. He...he kind of looked like me. I looked at my mother. She seemed entranced by him. She let off a small smile before returning to her scowl.

"Lord Poseidon, we have come to discuss the whereabouts of-"

The dream skipped ahead.

Now, it was late. I assumed the girls had been permitted to stay the night because my mother was looking out at the scenery. She was in a silvery nightgown and her dark hair was flowing down her back in curls. I smiled at her. She was clearly the leader. Even though she was a mere twenty years old, she was easily the oldest in her group.

Suddenly, there was a noise from behind her. She whipped around and gasped. Out from the shadows came Poseidon. His eyes were twinkling in the moonlight.

"My Lady Clarice, you were quite convincing this afternoon." He said.

She nodded, "Thank you Lord Poseidon. I do try my best to please Lady Artemis."

He smiled, "Yes, well, I was hoping we could discuss a few other things before you left tomorrow."

"Alright, like what?"

"Who is your godly parent Clarice?"

She looked alarmed, "My-my parent?"

"Yes my dear."

"Oh, well I was a mortal. I was turning twenty the day I joined. I did not want to grow up. Artemis came to me and asked me to join her and I said yes. I have never regretted it."

"Never?" Poseidon asked. He had a mischievous grin on his face.

"Well, I was a little upset at the prospect of never wedding, but I soon got over it."

"and now?"

"I..I find men attractive, as many of the other girls do." She looked startled and flustered with her words.

Poseidon looked amused. "My Ladyship, you don't need to be so worried. I am not asking for your hand. I'm merely asking you about why you would have possibly joined the hunt. You are in fact a beautiful woman, a bet a million suitors were lined up to marry you." After he finished there was obvious signs of a blush on both of their faces.

"Well, I...I better be off to bed. We're leaving tomorrow after all." My mother said. She walked off, leaving Poseidon alone.

The dream changed once again to a cavern.

The Hunters of Artemis were gathered around a campfire and were talking vividly about a recent battle. Several of the girls were going to sleep and even more were fast asleep.

There was a gust of wind from outside the cavern that blew out their fire. The girls complained and a couple set to work on rebuilding it. My mother stood up, and dusted off her pants. She wandered outside the cave to investigate.

"M'lady." I saw her jump and look around wildly. Her eyes rested on Poseidon, standing near a tree.

"M'lord." She bowed and looked at the ground.

"Clarice. Please. I have come to speak to you." He stepped towards her.

"Excuse me?" My mother replied, taking a step back.

"I,...I'm not sure how to tell you this. But, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you."

My mother's face grew red. "I'm sorry?"

"Ever since you and your hunters have left my palace, you have kept creeping into my mind. I cannot help it."

My mother was trying to look anywhere but at Poseidon. "I'm not sure what to say M'Lord."

"Then don't say anything. I would like you to quit the hunt. Come live with me in my castle."

"But m'Lord, if I were to quit the hunt, I would be mortal. I could not live with you. We would have to live on Earth."

Poseidon smiled, pleased that she had not immediately refused. "Arrangements could be made. Clarice, I would like to make you my wife."

My mother stopped for a moment. Then she bit her lip. "I must confess M'Lord that I have thought of you often as well. You must have cast a charm on me. I have already considered quitting the Hunters to join your household. And..." she paused. She looked around, and looked back at the cavern where her sisters were. "I am pleased to say I accept your offer. I must speak to Artemis."

"Of course M'lady." Poseidon said, with a huge grin on his face.

The dream skipped once more to reveal a tiny home. It was...it was my mom's apartment. There she was, looking only a year older than she had been. The room was messy and toys were strewn everywhere. there was a cry from a baby's throat across the room.

"Lyla darling, please rest. Mommy, needs to work." My mother cooed to a baby me. She walked over to my cradle and held me up. I was probably around three months old. My brown hair was poking up in curls. She smiled at me and kissed my forehead.

"Clarice dear." My mother turned around to see Poseidon standing there. He was smiling and was holding out his arms. "let me hold her, you've had her all day."

My mom laughed and handed me over to Poseidon. "She's been crying all day. She missed you."

Poseidon looked up at my mom and smiled sadly. "Clarice, I need to speak to you."

My mom nodded and gestured for him to continue.

"Zeus has ordered me to return to Olympus. He says, he says something is happening. He has...discovered that I have broken my vow once again."

My mother blinked. "Does this mean, does this mean that you can never return?"

"Yes my darling. I'm sorry."

My mother nodded. "Okay, I know this is for the best. You have given our daughter," she sighed, "The best three months a child could ask for."

Poseidon nodded, "Yes, I will have it arranged for to arrive at the camp when she is ready. Now i must be going, there is a war coming Clarice."

"A war? With who?"

"Kronos. He...he's returning. We're not sure how, we're not sure why, but my brothers and I can feel his presence. We expect him to return in fifteen years time."

"Be safe. I ...I love you."

"I love you as well. I will miss you and our daughter with the fullest of hearts. Just like how I miss my son."  
And with that, he was gone.

When I woke up, I couldn't move my arms. Or my legs. I groaned, and tried looking around as best as I could. I could see pine trees touching the clouds. I looked down to see that I was floating on a raft close to the edge of a lake.

My hands and toes were sticking into the cold water.

"I wouldn't try moving if I were you."

I whipped my head around and saw a boy maybe one or two years older than me. He had messy, black hair. His haunting green eyes seemed to stare into my soul.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"The better question is who are you? You washed up to the camp a few days ago. Leo, one of our campers found you. You were in pretty bad shape."

"If I was in such bad shape, why didn't you get me a doctor."

He grinned, "We did, but you needed to heal the way I heal."

"And how exactly do you heal?" I asked him. This guy was weird. Why didn't he just tell me what the heck was going on?

"Like this." He pulled a knife out from his jeans.

"Whoa! What are you going to do with that?"

"You'll see." He dragged the knife across the palm of his hand. Instantly, blood started flowing.

"Why did you do-"

He cut me off my bringing a finger to his lips. "Watch." He walked over to the edge of the lake and stuck his hand in the water. Then he brought it out. HE showed me the palm of his hand.

I gasped, "It's healed!" Where he had cut himself, there was nothing, not even the pink line of a healed scar.

The guy laughed, "Yeah, you have the same powers as me. that's why we stuck you in here."

I was stunned, "Powers...where are we?"

"You're at Camp Half-Blood."

I thought for a minute. "Cindy...she called me a half-blood. And my dream..."

"Dream? Did you have a dream while you were conked out?" he asked. I nodded my head. "What was it about?"

I told him everything. He listened the whole time, never finding any of it strange. I found it quite weird. I mean, who the heck dreams about Poseidon being your father?

"well, it makes some sense, since our dad is Poseidon."

"Are you insane? He's a myth!"

"That's what they all say. But first, what's your name?"

I thought for a minute. Did I really want to give the guy my name. I shook it off. I trusted him. I'm not sure why, but I did.

"I'm Lyla. Lyla Hamilton."

I stuck out my hand and he shook it. I'm Percy Jackson. Son of Poseidon and your half-brother."

I rolled my eyes. "Now where am I?"

"I told you, Camp-Half Blood. It's a camp for demigods. By the time demigods get claimed, they get chased by monsters and Camp Half-Blood is a place for those demigods to stay to be protected."

"Are...are you being serious?"

He nodded, "Unfortunately yeah. Don't worry though, it's fun here." He held a hand out to me and I took it. After much struggle of helping me up, Percy led me on a trail away from the lake.

We walked in silence for a few minutes until we came upon a huge open area. There were so many cabins, I couldn't count them all. Percy led me through an aisle of cabins. Kids were bustling all around.

"Hey Percy." One guy said. He had curly hair and bright blue eyes.

"Hey Conner!"

"This the newbie?" Conner asked, pointing to me.

I glared at the ground.

Percy laughed, "Yeah, she's a little bit feisty."  
Conner chuckled, "Like everyone else here. Well, its good to finally meet Percy's new sister. See you later!" He walked off.

"Conner Stoll, he's a son of Hermes."

"God of thieves." I replied. Percy nodded.

"Our cabin is right down here." He led me to a homely looking place. We walked inside and I found it to be quite adorable.

"That's my bed," Percy said, pointing to one by the window. "And this, he said, moving a few things around, "is yours." It was a bunk bed. The top part was already taken. I could tell since there was a huge bag that smelled suspiciously like poop."That's where Tyson, our half-brother seeps. He's visiting for a week, but then he's heading back down to Poseidon's palace."

I nodded and sat down on my bed. It was super comfy.

"Percy! Are you here?" A blonde girl came in. She was pretty enough. She had a nice tan, and gray eyes. Attached her her side was a knife holster.

"Hey Annabeth. This is Lyla." Percy said, pointing to me.

"Hey! I'm Annabeth Chase, Percy's girlfriend. It's so cool that Percy finally has a sister!" she said. Wow, she was super friendly. I smiled at her.

"And who's your godly parent?"

"Oh, my mom is Athena, goddess of wisdom and battle strategy."

"Cool." I was remembering a little bit now about Greek mythology.

She smiled at me. "We're looking forward to having you participate in capture the flag." she said, and she dashed out.

"She seems nice." I said.

"Yeah, she's awesome. I've known her since I was twelve years old."

"Twelve?!"

"Yeah, that's when I came to camp." Percy said. "I'm eighteen now and so I've known her for six whole years."

"Wow, that's impressive. My best friend, Juniper-" I cut myself off. Poor juniper. What had happened to her?

"Wait, Juniper? As in Grover's girlfriend?"

"I'm...I'm not sure who Grover is."

"You're the half-blood Juniper was sent to look after?!"

"Look after? Juniper was my friend!"

"She might have been, but she was originally sent to your school to watch out for you. The Council had sensed a demigod there and so...she went."

"I didn't understand any of that." I said.

Percy smiled, "That's okay. I'll catch you up later. It's about time for dinner, then for capture the flag. We better go." We walked out of the cabin and headed towards the mess hall.

"Wait a second." I said, stopping momentarily.

"Yes?"

"How could have possibly known that I was a daughter of Poseidon?"

He laughed, "Oh yeah. While you were in the infirmary, you were claimed. You almost caused a riot."

I frowned, "I...I did that?"

"Well, being a child of Poseidon or any of the big three really is kind of a big deal." Percy said.

"So we're like, super special?" I asked.

"Yep, super humans!" He said, grinning like a wild man.

I heard my stomach rumble when we came near the mess hall. There were so many enticing smells coming from inside, I could feel my mouth watering. I wiped my mouth as a bit of drool escaped.

I've always had a problem with drooling.

It was fairly big. Tables were lined up with kids already filling most of them.

"Today's one of those rare occasions that we can sit with our friends in other cabins. You can meet everyone!" He said. We walked over to a table with five campers. Annabeth was there eating a salad and reading a book.

"Percy, what if no one likes me?" I asked. He grinned and laughed a little.

"Well if no one likes you, then Leo still will."

We walked up to the table. "Hey guys!" Percy sat down and patted the place next to him for me to sit. "This is Lyla, my half sister."

A girl who looked like a Native American smiled at me, "I'm Piper, daughter of Aphrodite."

Next, was a boy with dark hair and circles under his eyes. "I'm Nico, son of Hades."

"Hey, I'm Grover Underwood." He held out his hand and I shook it. So this was Grover, Juniper's supposed boyfriend.

"And you already know Annabeth so that leaves-"

"Hey, there," a shortish, Hispanic guy stood up. "I'm Leo." He flipped his mess of curly hair out of his eyes. "Son of Hephaestus, but I should be son of Hermes."

I decided to humor him, "And why is that?"

"Because I'm a thief, and I'm here to steal your heart." He winked and sat back down. Everyone else groaned and I laughed a little bit.

Soon, there was a plate of tacos and hamburgers sitting in front of me. To drink, I had large cup of Dr. Pepper. I licked my lips hungrily.

"Dang girl!" I heard Leo say. I looked up at him.

"what?"

"You've got a real good taste in food." I looked at his plate and saw basically the same things. I raised my eyes brows.

"Impressive. Not many people like what I like." I said.

"Well," Leo said, grinning at me, "let's see who finishes first!"

And so it began.

**xxx **

**rosslynchandbeyond**


	3. I Win a Game

**Yay! Another chappie! Enjoy! **

**Chapter 3: I Win A Game**

Leo and I tied for who finished eating first. I probably would have lost if I hadn't been so hungry.

"So what's next?" I asked Leo.

"We have capture the flag. It's always so much fun. You'll like it." He replied. He walked ahead of me a little bit. He caught up to a girl with dark hair. She turned around at his touch. I noticed she had a bit of Asian look to her.

"Hey Drew, I'm not going to be able to participate as much as I did last time." Leo said.

"But Leo, you're like basically our leader!" Drew said.

Leo smirked, "yeah I know, but I have to help out Lyla." He nodded towards me. Drew looked in my direction and glared.

"Oh, okay. But make sure she doesn't get you killed or anything." she said as she stomped off.

"What's her deal?" I asked Leo.

"Or Drew?" he grinned, "Everyone at camp knows she has a crush on me and she's jealous of you."

"No!" Piper came up behind him and hit him on the head. "Last time a new recruit joined a team capture the flag day, they caused nearly twenty kids to go to the infirmary."

"Who's the unlucky soul who did that?" I asked. Leo frowned and pointed to a tall guy who looked about fifteen. "Him, Simon Lewis, son of Nike, goddess of-"

"Victory." Simon said, walking over to us. "I couldn't help but overhear you guys talking about me." He looked at me and smiled. "Who's this?"

"I'm Lyla Hamilton." I said, sticking out my hand. Simon took it and kissed my middle knuckle.

"Pleased to meet you, Lyla." He winked.

I blushed and looked away for a second. "Wait, so if your mother is the goddess of victory, who come you messed everything up in the capture the flag game?"

Leo snickered and Simon glared at him. "Because, before, I was a clumsy idiot who didn't know his right from his left. Once my mom claimed me, well, I became smoother."

This time Leo glared and took my elbow, "Come on Lyla, let's get you suited up."

"It'll be fun to see what you can do." Simon called.

"He seems," I paused, "nice."

"Yeah they all seem nice. Just stay away from him. He's a creep. He likes to win."

I laughed, "Makes sense."

Leo didn't say anything. When we got to the armory, he showed me how to put the plates of metal on.

"Alright, now that you're all set up," he said, setting a rag down, "we have to find you a weapon. What about a-"

"Do you have any bows and arrows?" I asked, hopeful.

He scrunched his face up, "Yeah, but normally only children of Apollo do really well with those. Are you sure?"

I smirked, "Just give me one."

"Okay..." he gave me a long bow that was beautifully curved. He also handed me a quiver with several arrows that had a bronze tip.

We brought me out to the arena where there was a target set maybe fifty yards from where we were starting.

"So, it may be better if you start closer-"

Without listening to him, I notched the arrow, pulled back and released. The arrow hit the bulls eye.

I looked at Leo, "Do you think I need to use anything different?"

He shook his head slowly, "Nope. You're good. But it maybe good to have like knives or whatever as back up." I nodded and followed him back into the armory. He handed me two knives and a holster for both of them. "You put it on your back and then when the time comes, you just reach back and look all cool."

I smiled, "Thanks!" I put it on and slid the knives into place. Then I strapped the quiver full of arrows on my back. I looked at Leo, "How do I look?"

He glanced and his face got a little red, "You look fine."

"So when's capture the flag?" I asked.

"As soon as Chiron gets back from his trip, we'll be good to go!" Leo replied, walking out of the armory. I followed him until we got to the strawberry fields.

"Hey Lyla! I have to talk to you!" Percy came running over.

I smiled in his direction and looked at Leo, "I'll see you later Leo." He nodded and kept walking.

"Please, don't encourage him" Percy said.

"What?!" I asked, "he's my friend."

"Yeah, sure except he likes to flirt with every girl he meets."

I rolled my eyes,' What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh right. Simon."

I groaned.

"What about him?'

"Annabeth said she saw you and Leo talking to him."

"Okay..."

"She also said and that he was getting flirty too."

Here it comes...

"Don't fall for him please."

"Who said I was?" I asked, indignantly.

Percy smiled grimly, "Nobody, its just... children of Nike tend to be pretty arrogant."

"Percy, I'll be fine. Really."

He nodded, "Okay good. So," he looked at my back, "how's archery working out for you?"

I smiled, "Very good. Why?"

"Well I was thinking. You know that dream that you had, the one where Poseidon and your mother met?"

I nodded, "Yeah. What about it?"

"Well in your dream you said your mother was a Hunter of Artemis. I bet you got all your skills from her."

"But she couldn't have been a Hunter! she's mortal."

"Mortals can be Hunters too. It happens all the time. My cousin, Thalia's one and she said just last week a mortal girl joined."

I scratched my back, "I just don't get it. Why hasn't Poseidon claimed me until now?"

Percy shrugged, "I guess he didn't want you to know until now."

"Percy!" Conner Stoll shouted, running by, "Chiron's back!"

Percy grinned and took my wrist, "Come on, Chiron will want to meet you." He dragged me until we reached a large house. There was a fat man wearing a Hawaiian shirt.

"That's Mr. D." Percy whispered in my ear.

"Chiron!" Mr. D shouted.

A half man, half horse walked up to Mr. D. He had a beard and messy brown hair.

"It's great to be back Mr. D." Chiron said. He looked around and his eyes landed on me. "So, this must be the daughter of Poseidon that has caused such an uproar in Olympus."

I blushed and looked down.

"Oh it's nothing to be ashamed of dear. We shall speak later. Who's ready for capture the flag?"

A roar rang through out the large crowd of kids.

Chiron laughed a loud, clear laugh, "Well lets get going!"

Kids started walking off in different directions and I got confused. I tried looking for Leo since I knew he was on my team, but he was no where in sight.

"Lyla!" I turned around and saw Simon walking towards me.

"Hey Simon."

"What team are you on?" He asked.

"I'm on whatever team Leo is on."

"Good. You're on the winning team!"

I glanced at him as we started walking. "How do you know?"

He grinned at me, "Cause that's my team."

Geez, now I know what they've been talking about. He is pretty cocky.

"And what makes you so sure that you'll win?" I asked, knowing precisely what the answer would be.

"Because my mom is the goddess of victory!" He exclaimed. "Now lets get in position." I followed him into the forest and we crouched behind a boulder.

"So what are we going to do?" I asked.

"When the conch horn sounds, we'll sneak to the corner of the other teams border. While I distract them, and take them down, you'll make your way to the flag which should be near. Wait there. Hide don't do anything. Wait for me and Leo to come to you so we can take out the flags guards together."

I wasn't sure, but this sounded like a pretty good plan to me. I nodded, "Sounds good."

Almost immediately, the couch horn sounded and Simon and I took off.

There were several kids from the other team filtering into our boundaries but before I could reach them, Simon knocked them down.

"How are you doing Lyla?" I heard a voice behind me ask. It was Leo. His armor had a chunk missing from it. His clothes were slightly singed.

"Uh, it's going fine. Simon had a plan." I gestured towards Simon who had reached the border. "I better get going."

"I-I'll come too! Don't want you to get killed or anything."

I rolled my eyes and started to make my way into new territory. Leo wasn't far behind.

We reached an area where kids were standing around a cave.

"Is that where the flag is?" I asked Leo. We were well hidden behind a large tree.

He nodded. "We'll have to get to a better hiding place."

I looked around and my eyes were drawn to the tree tops.

"What if I climb the tree and attack with my bow from the branches?" I asked

Leo nodded and followed me up the tree. "This better work, or Simon will have our heads."

We waited a few minutes until we heard Simon barreling into the clearing. He looked crazed.

He swung his sword and took out three people. Leo brought out a sling shot and was picking walnuts from the tree. He started shooting flaming walnuts.

I stabbed several walnuts with the ends of my arrows and shot them at the guards. Pretty soon, they were all taken care of.

I grinned and climbed down from my perch in the branches. Leo gave me a high five. And to my sort of surprise, Simon gave me a hug. Then he ran off into the cave.

I glanced at Leo and he was glaring at the ground. I ran inside the cave and found Simon being held back by kids from the other team. To my amusement, it was Annabeth.

"Crap." I muttered. There was no way we could win now, not when our best man was captured and Annabeth was still conscious.

I looked around, taking in my surroundings. The kid who was holding Simon was standing near a small pool of water.

Percy had told me that I had powers. He said I could control water. I smirked.

My eyes darted to Leo and I gave a short nod. He seemed to understand because he attacked.

I closed my eyes and focused all my energy to that pool of water. Suddenly, I felt a tug in my gut and before I knew it, the soldier was being held down by the water.

Simon laughed, "That was great!"

"Yeah yeah, let's get this flag."

Even though I was exhausted by now, I still wanted that flag. Leo had taken out three more guards but Annabeth and one other remained. Simon attacked Annabeth and I went after the other one. I took him out with my knife and Simon knocked Annabeth to the floor.

He held her down with his foot. "Lyla come hold down Annabeth while I take the flag across the border.

Was is being serious? I shook my head and grabbed the flag and took off. Leo was close behind and as soon as we crossed the border, another conch horn blew!

Chiron walked up to me and chuckled. "Isn't this amusing?"

Leo was laughing behind me, "Did you see the look on Simon's face? The fact that you ignored him was great, but the fact that you won he game for us!" He kept laughing.

I giggled too and handed Annabeth the flag. She gave me an approving nod. "You're a fighter. We could definitely use someone like you around here."

I smiled, "I'm totally prepared to be that person." She gave me a high five. Simon walked out of the cave.

"Can I talk to you?" he asked me. I shrugged, knowing what was coming. I looked back at Leo who mouthed 'Good luck'. I laughed and walked after Simon.

"What's up?"

"Whats up?! What's up?! You know what's up!"

"Look I'm sorry if I won the game that you were supposed to win or whatever but-" Simon cut me off with a kiss on the cheek.

"Sorry." he said, blushing slightly. "I- uh, just was really impressed. I haven't met a girl who likes to win as much as me."

"What about Annabeth?"

"Yeah, well she already has a boyfriend."

"Boyfriend? Who said anything about-"

"Just consider it? No decisions yet..."

I gulped, "Okay?"

He nodded and smiled, "Can I at least hold your hand?"

I thought about this. "Just until the edge of the forest."

Without hesitation, he took my hand in his. He gripped it hard, and it made me uncomfortable. I tried moving it around but he wouldn't let go. When we reached the end of the woods, he released my hand as promised.

"I'll talk to you later.' he said, backing away and winking at me.

"What was that?" I heard Leo ask. I turned around to see him fuming. "I thought I told you to stay away from him."

"It's not like I begged him to hold my hand. He basically grabbed it against my will."  
"And the kiss?" Oh shoot, he saw that.  
"Uh, chill it was on the cheek. Nothing else."

"Really?"

I nodded, "Yep."

"Did he ask you anything afterwards?" Man he was really trying to make me feel guilty wasn't he?

"He just asked me..."

"Yes?"

"Heaskedmetobehisgirlfriend."

"WHAT!?"

"Leo-"

He didn't listen, instead he just marched off to where Simon was standing, drinking from a water bottle. I decided not to meddle, instead I wet back to my cabin. Percy was already there, taking off his armor and setting it on his bedside table.

"I've heard you won the game for us. Impressive." He said. I nodded and took off my armor.

"Are you okay?" he asked. I looked at the floor, was I okay?

"I-I don't know." I replied. Earlier that day, I had felt amazing, like I could do anything. But after the capture the flag game, I felt so-so. Just now, after my talk with

Leo, I felt horrible. "I-I think I'm going to..." I sat down on my bed quickly and held my head.

"Lyla?" Percy asked, concerned.

"I just need something to drink." I answered. My lips felt really dry. He nodded and quickly went to the well in the corner of the room.

He fetched me a cup and handed it to me. I emptied the glass hurriedly.

"Better?" He asked. I nodded just so I could be left alone.

He nodded his head, "Alright, why don you stay here until-"

"Percy!" Annabeth came rushing in. "We need you out here!"

"What's wrong?"

"It's another fight."

"Another? Who is it this time?"

I stood up genuinely curious. Annabeth glanced at me and then bit her lip.

"It's Leo and Simon."

**Look, I know it may seemed a little bit rushed. Simon already asked Lyla the question and Leo is obviously (not really) already in love with her. I'm sorry! I just am so tired of the stories that take forever to get to the good stuff. **

**xxx **

**rosslynchandbeyond**


	4. I Hate Having Boys Fight Over Me

**So I have decided I will be updating every four days. My schedule is really busy so that's the soonest I'll be to update every week. **

**Chapter 4: I Hate Having Boys Fight Over Me**

"What are they arguing about this time?" Percy asked. He stalked out after Annabeth. I followed him outside where a large crowd had gathered around two people.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" The crowd chanted.

"Hey! Break it up! Break it up!" Percy yelled, pushing through the crowd.

The kids parted as he walked through. I could see Leo punching Simon in the stomach. Simon jumped up and grabbed Leo's collar. He whispered something in Leo's ear. Whatever he said must have struck a chord in Leo because he lost it after that. He shoved Simon to the ground and started kicking him repeatedly. Blood was gushing from Simon's face.

"Leo!" I screamed, I ran into the crowd and tried to pull Leo back from Simon. "Stop it! You'll kill him!"

I managed to pull Leo off him and drag him out of the crowd. We were close to the stable when I turned on him. "What's the matter with you?"

"What do you mean?" He asked in a small voice.

I glared at him, "You know exactly what I mean. Why would you beat up Simon like that?"

He shrugged, "I wanted to."

"You wanted to?"

"Yeah. What's wrong with that?"

"What isn't wrong with that? You can't just beat people up just because you want to!" I screamed at him.

"Who said you could tell me what to do?" he shot back. I glared at him.

I shook my head, "amazing. You know I actually thought that we could be friends. I guess I was wrong." I turned on my heel and walked away from him, hopeful he hand seen the tears forming in my eyes. I passed by Percy who was headed in the direction I had just come from, "I might not come to the meeting Percy okay?"

I didn't give him a chance to answer. I just kept walking to our cabin. Once there, I laid on my bed and crawled under the covers. I balled up and cried for a couple of hours.

When Annabeth came to get me, I was feeling slightly better.

She came I an smiled, "Hey Lyla. Percy told me you'd be in here."

I nodded, "I'm sorry if I missed the meeting."

"We haven't started. Chiron was willing to wait and went to unpack."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. We should go let Leo know you're okay. He's been worried."

My gaze lingered at the ground, "I-I don't know if it'd be okay for me to go."

"Why of course it's okay! Chiron has to ask you some things."

I shoo my head, "No, I mean I said some things to Leo that...that must have hurt him."

Annabeth laughed, "If you hurt Leo in any way, he hasn't shown it."

"What?" A new wave of anger washed over me. How could he act completely normal after I broke off our almost friendship? Do he really not care for me that much? "Okay. I'll go." Just to prove what Leo was missing out on.

Annabeth grinned, "Great! Lets go!" She took my hand and she pulled me to the Big House.

We walked through the front door then we went to a room with a ping pong table. There was a giant jaguar head hanging from the wall and little bird women were giving all the occupants a drink. There were a little over twenty kids here including, Piper, Percy, Conner Stoll and a boy who looked just like him, Simon, and Leo.

"Hey guys." Annabeth said, sitting next to Percy. I looked around for any empty chair. There were two open, one at the head of the table, another right next to Leo.

"Shall we begin?" Chiron came in and changed his form so that he could sit in the chair at the head of the table. I sighed and sat next to Leo.

"Lyla...I need to talk to you." he whispered, looking at me, concerned.

"Can it wait until after the meeting?" I asked. He nodded and stayed quiet.

"There is a matter to discuss here." Chiron said, "I believe most of us know what it is about."

Annabeth nodded gravely, "I'm afraid so Chiron. Can I explain to Lyla?" He gave a curt nod and looked out the window.

"Lyla." Annabeth began, "After the Prophecy of the seven was complete, no one wanted to go on another quest. No one wanted to know the next great prophecy."

Piper sniffled in her corner and turned away.

"Piper lost her boyfriend, and we...we all lost a friend." Annabeth continued, "A few months ago, Rachel, our oracle, gave a new Great Prophecy. Rachel..."

A red-headed girl stood up, she had on a loose T-shirt and had a huge grin on her face. "Th Great Prophecy:

_Fate will haunt _

_the minds of the weak_

_Nothing can stop it_

_but water and heat_

_Victory will be key_

_to greatest success _

_And knowledge will defeat Earth's_

_deadly caress" _

Rachel finished and sat down.

"Is that it?" Yelled a girl. She looked quite burly and mean.

"Yes Clarisse" Chiron said.

"What does the prophecy mean?" Conner Stoll asked. Several other kids nodded.

Annabeth sighed, "It means that four people need to o on this quest, "Nothing can stop it but water and heat. That's Poseidon and Hephaestus."

"Precisely, we will also need a camper from Nike."

"I volunteer!" Simon cried, raising his hand. This was a bad idea because he cringed from the left over pain from earlier. Leo chuckled beside me.

Chiron said, "Fair enough. We will talk about that later."

"I think Leo should go for Hephaestus." I heard Percy say. Leo blushed and said, 'Uh, I don't know. I mean..."

"I think he should go too!" I said.

He glanced at me. "Okay, I'll go if Lyla goes for Poseidon."

A hush fell over the room. Chiron looked at me, Percy looked at me. Simon and everyone else in the room looked at me.

"Well...I don't know, if Percy wants to-"

"No, no I think you should go." Percy said.

Chiron frowned, "Percy, I think we should consider this. Lyla has only been at camp for a few days. That is not enough training for a quest of this importance."

"Chiron, I had only been at camp two days before I left on my first quest." Percy said standing up.

Chiron glared at him, "We will not discuss this now."

"Well then, what will we discuss?" I asked.

"We will discuss what we'll need to do on the quest." Simon said. He looked at Rachel. "Could you repeat a few of the lines?"

She nodded, " Fate will haunt the minds of the weak."

Annabeth tapped the table nervously, "The fates? They never get involved in quests."

"And I guess they'll haunt us...if we;'re weak?" Leo guessed.

"No." Rachel said, "It's...it's what they reveal. You'll meet them...eventually, maybe. They'll show you something. and if you're not strong enough, you'll let what they show you, tear you down."

"All that from one line?" I asked.

Annabeth smiled at me, "prophecies carry a lot more meaning than you think."

"Okay so, Nothing can stop it but water and heat." I said, reciting the next line of the prophecy.

"Tat means, that one of the things the Fates will show us is..something that will destroy us?" Percy predicted. He scratched his head.

"Possibly. But there's no telling." Chiron said, looking deep in thought.

"Victory will be the key to greatest success..."

"that means I'll play a huge role in this!" Simon said with a grin on his face.

"That doesn't mean it'll be a good role!" Leo snapped.

Simon glared at him and at back down. "Okay fine, and knowledge will defeat Earth's deadly caress."

all was silent. "Does it mean we'll have to be smart to be able to defeat..." I proposed, unsure of hat to finish with. What could deadly caress be?

"I think ,we should talk about this tomorrow. Let's get some rest." Annabeth said, standing and stretching.

Chiron nodded, "Let it be done. Perseus, you will have three days to train Lyla. After that. We will decide."

Percy grinned and turned to Annabeth. He kissed her cheek and stood up.

"We should get you to bed. We'll be waking up early tomorrow." He told me and starts out the room ad I followed out after him.

"Lyla! Can I talk to you?" I heard Leo say. I looked at Percy.

He nodded, "Sure. Just hurry back." He left.

"What do you want Leo?" I asked. Why should I have to talk to him?

"I just wanted to apologize."

"For what?"

"I'm sorry for beating up Simon." Leo replied. "Now, is there anything you want to say to me?" He had a huge grin on his face."

I shook my head, "Not really."

He laughed, "Very funny. Why dot you just apologize for:" he cleared his throat, "talking to Simon after I told you not to, kissing Simon, yelling at me, and unfriending me."

I didn't say anything. Was he joking? Was he being serious? "Are-are you kidding me?" I asked. "Why should I have to apologize to you? I can do whatever I want!"

His eyebrows furrowed, "Why did I have to apologize then?"

"B-b-because! You can't just beat people up just because I like Simon better than you!"

Leo stared at me. His eyes flamed with anger. "What?"

"You heard me!" I shouted.

Leo's fists clenched an his hands began to glow orange. His hair was smoking...literally.

"L-Leo? What's going on?" I started backing away.

"Leo!" Percy had returned. He ran in front of me and held his hand out. "Calm down."

He looked at me, "Go to the cabin and go to sleep. I'll deal with Leo." I bit my lip and nodded. I ran to the cabin where I slammed the door shut. Above my bed, there was a lumpy figure breathing very slowly. That must be Tyson.

I sighed and went to a closet that Percy had pointed out to me earlier. I pulled out some pajamas and pulled them on. Then, without hesitation, I went to bed.

My dream was confusing, fuzzy, and short. All I could see was a girl, maybe five or six years old. She had tan skin, brown eyes and messy black hair. She had a devilish grin on er face. "Mommy! Daddy says that you would tell me the story of when you were younger." She said.

I looked around at where we were. it was a small room, maybe in an apartment. It was pink. Stuffed animals laid discarded all over the floor. There was a small white desk with crayons spilled around a piece of paper. The paper had a drawing of a boat.

There was a laugh in the doorway. I turned my head to see a tall man around twenty-five or so. He had the girls devilish grin and head of messy hair. He was wearing a white t-shirt and cargo pants.

"I'm sorry Lyla. She couldn't resist!" the man said.

"Daddy, you could tell the story to!", the girl said.

"Now Reyna I don't know if that's a good idea!" the man said, looking panicked.

For some reason, I replied "You have to tell the story too! If I'm doing this so are you."

He grinned at me. He leaned down an kissed the little girl's head. "Alright. One story. Then it's off to bed, you have training early tomorrow."

"But Daddy!" the girl whined.

"Reyna!" I warned. This little girl, she must be my daughter and this man...he had to be my husband.

The girl looked at me, "Please Mommy! I won't ask for anything else ever again!"

I smirked, "Sorry, if you want to learn how to be a good warrior and ever go on a quest with cousin Luke."

The girl groaned, "But Aunty Annabeth will never let Luke go on a quest!"

The man laughed, "Yeah, well if Uncle Percy has anything to say about it, Luke will be going on a quest pretty soon."

And that's where the dream faded.

I woke up then. It was bright in the cabin, sun shined through the Windows. I sat up and took in a deep breath. That dream...it was...interesting.

Based off of it, I could tell several things. One; Annabeth and Percy would get married and have a kid named Luke. Two; I'd have a little girl named Reyna. I wish I could tell who the husband was.

I stood up and walked around. Percy had gone and so had Tyson. I went into the bathroom and took a shower before pulling on skinny jeans and a Camp Half-Blood t-shirt that Percy had left our. I braided my curly hair into a long braid. I slipped on my converse. I went to the wall where I had hung up my knives and quiver and bow. I strapped on the knives and pulled the quiver over my head. I took my bow in my hand and walked outside.

Kids were bustling around, getting ready for the days activities. It was nearly 9 o'clock, almost time for breakfast. I was almost to the dining hall when someone pulled me into the stables.

I tried shouting out but their hand covered my mouth. "Shh Lyla it's me." Leo. I turned around and glared, "What do you want?"

He grimaced, "Look, I'm sorry. I know...I know that I hurt you yesterday. In more ways than one."

I shook my head, "it doesn't mater, not anymore." I tried to leave then but he held me back.

"I really am sorry. Sometimes, I can't control myself. Sometimes it just happens when I get too upset."

"What just happens?" I asked. Did this have anything to do with why his hands were glowing orange yesterday?

He sighed, "I might as well show you. You might want to take a step back." I did so and watched him with growing interest. Suddenly, his hand was on fire and then his arm, and then his whole body was covered in flames. I screamed and backed away.

Then his body was normal, his skin completely unharmed. I ran to him and hugged him for some reason. "Are you okay? What just happened?" I asked.

"I have that power, because I'm a child of Hephaestus."

I stared at him, amazed, "Can the others-"

"No. I'm the first one since...well since a while."

I grinned, "That's...awesome!"

He looked at me, confused, "What?"

"Dude! You can erupt into flames and throw fire balls! You're like the Human torch! Do you like yell 'Flame on!' whenever you're about to," I gestured to him, "do that?"

Then his face broke out in a devilish grin he laughed, "I should start doing that more often!" he said.

He still had his grin n his face when I realized...the man from my dream...no. It was a coincidence. A lot of people around the world had a smile like that. I shook my head, "Come on Human Torch, let's get you to breakfast."

"Lyla." he said. I turned around and smiled at him.

"yes?"

"Does this mean we're friends?"

I nodded, "Yeah Burned Brain, we're friends."

"Awesome...uh...I'll think of a nickname."

I laughed, 'Yeah okay." We went outside where everyone was already walking towards the dining hall. Most of the kids had already gotten their food and were sitting down. I sat down across from Percy who was digging into his blue pancakes.

"Blue?" I asked.

He nodded, his mouth full of food. "I's mah fahrite cohor." Which I assumed meant "it's my favorite color.'

I laughed, "Does that mean your food has to be that color?"

"Of course it does!" he said. The harpies brought me my food and I dug in. Soon, my plate was empty and my stomach was full.

"Are you ready for training?" Percy asked. I nodded and wiped my mouth with my napkin. "Then let's go."

He stood up and stretched. Then he gestured for me to follow him. We walked out of the dining hall and went straight to the lake I had woken up in.

"First lesson. Know your boundaries." Percy said, turning around. "Know what you can and cannot do. Know how much energy each attack takes, this can be the difference in life and death." He said.

"So..." I began, "You wouldn't use your most powerful attack at the beginning. That would drain you too much and you'd be dead."

"Exactly. Now, I'm going to start you off with a beginner move. Make a hurricane."

"What?!"

Percy laughed, "Not anything big enough for you to damage anything, just a tiny one right here on this lake."

I nodded and closed my eyes. I concentrated on what I wanted to make. I wanted rain, and winds. I wanted water splashing and roaring waves.

"Whoa!" I opened my eyes and was pleasantly surprised to see exactly what I wanted. Percy was grinning. "Looks like you've got a good idea of what to do."

I nodded and stopped it and instantly felt drained. I fell back and nearly puked.

Percy laughed, "Yeah that's what happened to me first time. Here," he handed me a food that tasted like spicy food "It's ambrosia. It'll make you feel better."

I stood up shakily and said, "Now what?"

"We'll wait for you to gain your complete strength. Until then? Lets work on your battle strategy."

Hours later, I was sweaty, tired and starving. Percy instead we skip out on lunch so I could learn the fundamentals of the Olympians. A harpy had stopped by during dinner and had given us some food.

We were finally stopping for the day. "How are you feeling?" Percy asked.

I looked at him with a pleading look, "You mean besides the fact that I want to punch you in the face now? I'm not doing too good."

Percy laughed, "You'll feel better after tomorrow. First day is always the worst."

"Do we get to sleep now?" I asked, begging te answer to be yes.

Percy shook his head, "Nope. We have the sing-along tonight. It's kinda lame, but it's mandatory so..."

I groaned and kept walking sluggishly. It was already dark. I could see a red glow coming the center of camp. They must've already started.

Percy sprinted ahead and did the weird bro hug thing with Leo. Then he sat down next to Annabeth on a log.

I bit my lip and stayed behind everyone, not wanting to interfere with all of their friendships, plus I was really tired. My gaze landed on Leo who I realized was already staring at me. 'What?' I mouthed. He waved me over and patted next to him. I rolled my eyes and walked over to him.

"Why did you have to sit down in the grass?" I asked. It was uncomfortable and rocky.

"You didn't have to come and sit with me. But you did." Leo pointed out.

I sighed, "If this thing wasn't mandatory, I'd be in my bed now, dreaming of-"

"Me?" Leo joked. I punched his arm. "Hey! I can't help it if you're undeniably in love with me."

I laughed, "Yeah right! If anything, you're growing on me."

Then Leo stopped laughing, "Oh right, I forgot, Simon is the one who has your heart."

"You know I didn't mean that. Simon's arrogant and mean."

"Do you really mean that?" I heard a voice say behind me. I whipped around and saw Simon standing there, a frown on his face.

"Yes Simon." Leo said, standing up and smirking, "I believe she does."

"Leo..." I warned.

"Oh really Valdez, or do you just want her to mean it? Because I'm pretty sure she was enjoying herself yesterday when I kissed her."

"Simon!" I cried. Leo was inching dangerously close to Simon for my taste.

Leo's fists clenched. "You really don't want to make me anymore madder than I already am, Lewis."

I glared at both of them. Were they seriously going to argue again?

"Oh you mean like I did when Jason died?"

That's when Leo attacked. Honestly, how stupid do you have to be to get into two fist fights with the same person within twenty-four hours?

Simon fell to the ground but brought Leo with him. They were rolling around, punching each other.

Clarisse, the cabin leader for Ares, brought out her phone and took a picture. She and all her siblings were laughing uncontrollably. Percy was ignoring them, there was no use in trying to pull them apart when they'd just fight again later. Piper was staring into the fire, looking ready to have a fit. Annabeth was at her side, trying to sooth her. I guess it was up to me.

Turning back to the scene, Leo had his flame on and Simon was...wow. He was glowing yellow. He had his sword out and he was swiping like a madman. He didn't seem to be missing except Leo was easily deflecting his jabs with his fire hands.

"Guys! Stop!" I shouted, but of course everyone else in camp was singing at the top of their lungs and no one could hear me. "Seriously! You guys need to stop!" I tried shouting louder. still no one heard me.

That was it. I was tired, hot, in uncomfortable clothing, and was annoyed that no one was listening to me. "STOP!" Suddenly, a large wave of water, I won't even try to imagine where it came from, washed over everything.

I looked around, the fire was out, Leo's flames had gone out, Simon had stopped glowing and every pair of eyes was staring at me.

I laughed nervously, "Hi. Uh, can I go to bed?" I asked. Chiron nodded slowly and I ran off to the cabin where i proceeded to puke.

**I apologize for how badly the prophecy is written. Also the grammar and any spelling errors. And yes, I did write in the "Piper lost her boyfriend." I made it so Jason was the one to close the Doors of Death, so...sorry about that too. **

**xxx**

**rosslynchandbeyond**


	5. I Get Bad News

**Alright! Another chapter is up! The Marching Band season is officially over! I'm sad, but I'm also relieved. It took up solo much time that I had to rush my homework and push my updates back several days. Now I'm free so I'll be able to regularly update every four days like I said I would. Also, someone commented on my grammar and I totally understand! I normally type these up on my iPod and then post them from my computer, but I'll start typing on the computer too! I think that's it for now so enjoy!**

** Chapter 7: I Am Tormented**

After Percy got over the fact that I had snuck onto the boat, he was quite happy I was there. They needed the extra hand.

Percy had decided that he and Simon would go off to find the guide while Leo set the new coordinates for Mexico. I was assigned the oh-so-important role of guard. Without me guarding the boat, Leo would have been killed by the skeletal wolves that were currently attacking.

As one pounced on me, I went to cut its head, but another had jumped onto my back and was gnawing on my hair. I barely managed to shove it off and stab its ribs apart before three more wolves took its place.

"Geez," I mumbled, "Aren't these things supposed to be dead?" I cut another head off when I heard a cackle. "Who's there?" I asked, the wolves had gone still.

Suddenly, out of a mist that had appeared out of nowhere, a large woman was floating towards me, her arms outreached. "Come my beautiful wolves...feed on this…scum…"

"Uh, excuse me….but who are you?" I said. Was there a goddess of dead wolves?

"I am Angelos! I rule all the female spirits of the underworld. Bow before me!" She cried.

"You're leading a pack of wolves you know."

She glared at me. A soft growl escaped her lips. "I am leading a pack of female wolves you uneducated demi-god. I know your parentage. You're a child of Poseidon. A god…" She mocked.

"What's your deal? I'm a female!" I cried.

Angelos stroked her chin thoughtfully, "This is true. I might be willing to spare you. If you pass my tests."

"Well, what are your tests?"

"Are you dead? Are you or have you ever been a criminal or demon?"

Really? "Uh, no."

"Oh well. Prepare to die!"

"Wait!" I screamed "What have I done to offend you? Why are your wolves attacking us?" She chuckled and patted the head of one of her wolves. It glanced at me hungrily.

"You have been in my domain all night. You have been shown mercy by my not attacking earlier. I wanted to see if you had potential."

"Potential? For what?" I asked.

She chuckled, "I would tell you. But unfortunately, you're alive. We'll talk gain after you're in my uncle's domain."

The Underworld. I wasn't looking forward to that.

"Alright. So what's next? We fight one on one?" If we did, I was fairly certain that I could beat her.

"No my dear, we will fight. And by we, I mean you and my darling wolves."

Oh.

"Uh...yeah, is there I any way I wouldn't have to do that?" I could hold off the wolves for only so long. Eventually I would get too tired and they would tear me apart.

She chuckled evilly and was about to sic the wolves on me when an extreme blast of warmth radiated around us.

"Wha-what?" Angelos stuttered. She looked around frantically. Her wolves were itching at their bones. The temperature grew hotter and hotter, which was obviously bothering Angelos and the wolves.

"I don't-" I began, but I caught sight of Leo inching his way towards Angelos. I smirked and continued, "know what you're talking about."

"You ignorant girl! It's as hot as Apollo on this ship! It will kill me!"

That's the plan I thought. Leo was close to her, his hands already flaming. Angelos sniffed and screamed an ear piercing scream.

"How dare you trick me?" She shouted, whirling around. She saw Leo and he faltered, not expecting her to notice him.

"Hey there." He said, "I'm-I'm Leo Valdez. And I-"

"You're a boy!" Angelos cried.

"Yes...I am...I have been for a while now." Leo replied. The idiot.

She glared at him and summoned a wolf to her side. "How dare you speak to me like this? I am a goddess!"

Leo scoffed, "Well you must be a pretty lame one if I've never heard about you before."

Her face grew red, "I-I am the most important of them all! I lead the women into battle!"

"Well I'm pretty sure Artemis already has that covered."

"You're too stupid to understand boy! I lead the bravest female wolves around the world!"

"What about the cows? And the pigs? You can't forget about chickens either!" Leo cried, going into rant mode, "If you're going to lead female animals, you might as well lead them all! It could be like half of Noah's ark up in here!"

"I do not lead just any animal into whatever this Noah's ark is...I lead wolves!"

Leo sighed, "Alright, but I'm just curious as you why you chose the wolves? Like why not any other animals?"

Angelos groaned in frustration, "Enough of this! You will die by the hand of my feminine wolves!"

"Wolves have paws, not hands!"

"KILL HIM!"

Immediately the wolves jumped on him. He shrieked and began throwing fireballs. I sprang into action as well, summoning the water around us to sweep away the majority of the wolves. I didn't exactly think it through though because as soon as the water drenched the wolves, it also doused Leo's fire.

"Really?!"

"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking." I cried, grabbing my knives to fight off some wolves. He shook his head and brought out a hammer.

Leo slammed against the head of a wolf, and sucker punched two in the ribs. They collapsed to the ground, turning to dust before our eyes.

Angelos was still summoning wolves around us, cackling with delight.

"I'll take care of her. You get rid of the wolves." I told Leo. He nodded and took out more wolves.

I made, my way over to her, my knives glinting in the sunlight. "Let's go Angelos, just you and me."

She grinned, "I do not think so demi-god. It has been foreseen that you are more powerful than I. I will not let you touch me."

"Lyla! I think I've killed all the wolves!" Leo cried. I glanced at him, a smile clear on his face.

"You see, I will play to your emotions, Lyla Hamilton." Angelos said. "I know of a boy on this ship, one that will kill you to see him die."

Tears began forming in my eyes.

"Lyla don't listen to her! She's trying to get in your head!" Leo cried from across the ship.

"Shut it!" Angelos screamed. She turned back to me. "Now, we could end his suffering, if you just let me defeat you. He will not be harmed."

I had a horrible feeling in my stomach. I knew exactly who she was talking about. And although there was nothing romantic about it at all, Leo's friendship with me was worth more than anything. I couldn't stand to see him get hurt.

"Alright. You can kill me. As long as you swear on the River Styx he will not be harmed!" I said, setting down my knives.

"Lyla, no!"

"Of course I do darling!" Angelos said happily. Then she pounced and pinned me down. Her teeth grew into razor blades, her smile gruesome. She opened her mouth and screamed in my face. Her breath was disgusting.

"Prepare to die!" She started with my arms, nibbling little bits of flesh off.

I honestly don't recall how I was reacting. But I think I was screaming, crying probably. .The pain was indescribable.

"Lyla!" I heard Leo say.

Angelos chuckled and murmured, "Your lover is calling for you Lyla..."

I didn't bother to correct her, since I couldn't really speak.

She had moved onto my face. Her teeth were scarring my cheeks and forehead. Before long, she got bored with that and moved onto my eyes. She was just about to pierce them, my screams filling up the vast quietness. When she gasped and blood began dripping from her mouth.

She fell onto the ground beside me, dead as a doorknob.

I couldn't sit up, couldn't feel anything. But I did feel my body being lifted my Leo. He held me in his lap and carried me into the ship.

He was talking to me. That much I could tell. My eyes were barely open, but from the small amount of vision was that he was crying.

Leo carried me to my room where he set me down and started healing my wounds. They stung a lot.

I could feel unconsciousness creeping up on me slowly. I promised myself that I wouldn't go to sleep until Leo left, so I wouldn't have to scare him. That would have been too horrible.

When he was done, he stared at me for a long time, he looked into my eyes. He told me about his mom and his life when he was young. I didn't react, because smiling or showing any emotion at all hurt my face. But I listened to his sad and beautiful story.

"Lyla…I…I feel horrible. When she started hurting you, I froze. I couldn't imagine that happening to you. I feel so stupid. I could have helped you sooner, I'm just so sorry-"

I stopped him by cupping his face in my hand. My eye lids began drooping.

He nodded, "Alright, I'll let you sleep. I'll check on you later."

With that I closed my eyes. But before the dreams could take me, I felt a surge of heat by my face.

Leo was really close to my ear. His breath smelled good in my nose. I smiled slightly.

"Lyla…" he whispered, "What are you doing to me?"

And he was gone.

** I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I had fun writing it! I kind sorta based the scene with Angelos chewing Lyla's flesh off Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 where Bellatrix was writing Mudblood on Hermione's arm. I thought it was a really heart wrenching scene. **

**Anyway, like i said, I'll be update alot more now! Look for the next update on Saturday! Tell your friends!**

**xxx**

**rosslynchandbeyond**


	6. I Join Team Super Fun Times

**This chapter is going to be mostly fluff. I'm having trouble thinking of ideas for what direction this story is heading. So if any of you have ideas for me, I would love to have them. Thanks and enjoy! :)**

**Chapter 6: I Join Team Super Fun Times**

Two days had passed. After Leo had told me his idea, it was immediately set into motion. Percy, Simon and Leo were planning on leaving tonight. And so was I.

That morning, after breakfast, Leo and I met up to complete the plan.

"Do you have all your weapons? And the maps the Hermes kids gave you?" He asked.  
I nodded, going through my satchel again. He was pacing.

"Leo, calm down, this is going to work." He glanced at me and sat down next to me.

"I know. I'm just...worried."  
I laughed, "What for? You're not the one risking everything for getting to go on a quest."

He shook his head, "No that's not what I'm worried about."

"Then what?" He paused and looked at me hard. He was about to say something when Travis Stoll came out of no where and started laughing like an idiot.

"Leo! Were you just about to-"

"Travis! Let's go! We have to go do...something. Bye Lyla!" And with that he took off with Travis running clumsily behind him.

I was now watching Percy pack his bags. I hadn't spoken to him since I found out I wasn't going on the quest.

"Percy." I said from my perch on Tyson's bed. "When will you guys be back?"

"Are you talking to me now?" He asked.

"Shut up. When?"

He shook his head, "It's hard to tell. We don't even know where we're going except that we need to head South."

He was stumbling around, looking for last-minute items. "Alright...I think..I'm ready." Percy slung his bag over his shoulder. "Are...are you going to come say goodbye?"

"Of course. Just, not to you."

Percy frowned and I laughed and ruffled his hair. "Come on, you've gotta go."

We walked outside, where a crowd of other campers were standing around. Chiron was talking to Simon animatedly about something. Leo was standing off to the side, twiddling his thumbs. I caught his eye and he nodded slightly. We didn't say anything, but we both knew what we were doing.

Once they left, I went straight into action. I gathered all my stuff: just a backpack full of food, water, and the basic quest stuff, as well as my bow and plenty of arrows. I strapped them on and ran outside.

It was dark and most campers were at the camp fire across the camp. If I played my cards right, I could get out without being noticed. When I made it to the beach, I glanced around before stepping into the water.

"Lyla!"

Crap.

I turned around and saw Piper running towards me.

"Where are you going?"

What's the point in lying? "I'm going with them."

She smirked, "Why?"

"Because I...I just need to. To prove myself."

"You don't have to do this to prove yourself. And...I think it might be for something else..."

I frowned, confused by her comment. I decided to ignore it and asked her the question I had wondered for a while.  
"Who's Jason?"

She paused, her eyes not meeting mine. But she answered in a shaky voice, "He was my boyfriend." And she told me the story. How he had sacrificed himself for the seven to close the doors of death. By the end of her story, she was sobbing and I was holding her.

"I'm sorry for asking..." I muttered. She sniffed and wiped her eyes.

"I-it's okay. I need to let it out every once in a while. So...about what I said earlier...I think your intentions for going on this quest is not what you think."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

She smiled slightly through her tears. "I'm a child of Aphrodite, I can tell when someone loves someone else. I also know that someone will do anything for the one they love." And with that she walked away. She didn't try to stop me and she didn't say anything else. Was that her giving her permission for me to go?

And so I went anyway. I dove into the water. From what Percy had taught me, I knew I could breath under water and that I could swim for miles without getting tired. Leo and I both knew the boat the boys were on was heading for the coast of Virginia which was a pretty long distance from Camp Half-Blood.

Despite the distance, I kept swimming, knowing I would soon be on the boat with the guys. That thought made me swim faster, a smile etched onto my face. I didn't care what Piper thought, this quest was not so I could find love, it was so I could let very one know that I was meant to be there.

After several hours of swimming, I was relieved to see the boat just about a mile ahead of me. I smirked and sped on.

When I reached the boat, I did exactly what Leo told me to do. I snaked up the side of the boat and ran to the engine room. Leo had told me to meet him there and he would take me to see the others.

I got there safely, out of breath. I slid to the floor and closed my eyes. Even though it wasn't supposed to, all that swimming tired me out. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, Leo was shaking me awake.

"Lyla! It worked!"

"yeah yeah...leave me alone..." I groaned and rolled over, trying to sleep.

"No, come on."

"Leo-"

"Let's go!" He was already out the door.

"Leo slow down." I said, grabbing his hand. He turned around, a blush very clear on his face. "I think I should keep hiding out, just to make sure we're far enough away that they can't send me back."

He nodded and walked back to the engine room, still holding me hand. "Alright. So will I have to sneak food down here? Water? Will this be one of those forbidden romances?"

It was my turn to blush as he said that. "Uh...what-"

He started laughing, "Just kidding!"

"Well-"

"But if you want we can do that."

"I don't-"

"Geez stop interrupting, woman!" He said. We arrived back at the engine room.

"I'll see you tomorrow Leo." I said, beginning to walk inside.

"Yeah..." He said. Then he pulled me back and kissed my cheek. "I'm ad you came Lyla. We won't be able to do this with out you. You know that right?"

I bit my lip and nodded, "Of course...but..." I kissed his cheek then. "I couldn't do it without your help. Night." And I slipped into the engine room.

I squealed silently from what had just happened. Then I composed myself and peeked out the window to see Leo still standing there, his eyes wide and rubbing his cheek.

I rolled my eyes and went to sleep.

When I woke up the next morning, my body was stiff. So I took off my jacket so I was only in my tank top. Then I slid off my jeans and put on gym shorts instead.  
I heard a knock at the door and went to answer it. Leo was standing there with breakfast.

"Here-" he stopped, took in my appearance and smiled, "You didn't have to dress up all for me you know."

"Ha. Ha. Ha. You're so funny Burned Brain. Give me my food."

He handed it to me and sat down, "se when are you going to give yourself up to Percy?"

I considered this, "How close are we to Virginia?"

"We got there last night around 2."

"Great. Now's a good time. Lets go."I marched upstairs, Leo following silently behind me.  
I gestured to the room I thought was the dining room and he nodded.

"Morning Percy." I said, walking in.

"Lyla!" Simon cried, falling out of his chair.

"Lyla, what are you doing here?" I laughed, "It's pretty obvious don't you think? I'm here for the quest." "Lyla, Percy is the one in the prophecy." Simon said, standing back up.

"No Pretty Boy, I am."

It was silent. Percy was fuming, Leo was giggling and Simon looked very pleased.

"Lyla. We're turning this boat ar-"

"Too late! We're already too far from Camp Half-Blood."

Percy stated pacing, "You know what? Fine! But if you get in our way...I will bet my moms blue cookies that you'll be back at camp faster than you can say, Aphrodite's Afros!"

With that he stormed off, leaving me and Simon and Leo laughing on the floor. Aphrodite's Afros?

Once we had eaten and gotten dressed, we all met in the dining room to discuss what the plans were.

"Chiron told me we need to find a guide to lead us through Mexico." Simon said.

"What does Mexico have to do with anything?" I asked.

"Mexico is where most of the philosophical deities like to settle down. Now sure why..." Percy answered.

Leo sighed, "Ahh, the lands of my people, housing fortune-telling gods since the ancient times..."

"Leo, shut up." Percy said. He pulled out a map of Mexico. "Now according to Chiron, Mexico is a pretty shady place, demigods get mugged by monsters there all the time."

Leo frowned, "Why you being racist against my country brah?"

Percy glared at him and continued, "we need to watch our backs if we're going to make it out in a stable condition."

"Okay so what I'm hearing is that we're going to a country full of Mexican monsters where we will most likely get very hurt. All of this for what?" I asked.

"We have to find the god or goddess that will affect the battle." Simon replied.

"Don't we not want to find them? I mean, won't they be our enemy?" Leo questioned.

"Yes...but it would be nice to know who were up against." Percy answered.

We sat in silence, trying to comprehend this. We would have to fight a battle against one of the gods. Four against one should seem like a good chance, but with a god...

"Alright, team. Lets go!" Leo cried.

"What's our team name?" I asked, playing along.

"Uh...Team...Team Super Fun Times!"

"Team Super Fun Times away!" I cried, running out the door.

**So this is a little rushed, and it's actually not all fluff, so that's good. I hope you enjoyed this! **

**And now story time. **

**Yesterday I was talking to one of my very good friends. We were talking about what we wanted to do when we grew up. I really want to be an author. Like really bad. When I told her this, she laughed in my face and told me that being an author was a useless job that was only meant for people who were actually good at writing. Now here's the thing, I've writing stories back and forth with her for a couple of years now and not once has she ever said I suck at writing. Idk, it just made me really upset to be told that the one thing I want to do with my life...I suck at. :( **

**I hope you all have a better day than me. **

**xxx**

**rosslynchandbeyond**


	7. I Am Tormented

**Alright! Another chapter is up! The Marching Band season is officially over! I'm sad, but I'm also relieved. It took up solo much time that I had to rush my homework and push my updates back several days. Now I'm free so I'll be able to regularly update every four days like I said I would. Also, someone commented on my grammar and I totally understand! I normally type these up on my iPod and then post them from my computer, but I'll start typing on the computer too! I think that's it for now so enjoy!**

** Chapter 7: I Am Tormented**

After Percy got over the fact that I had snuck onto the boat, he was quite happy I was there. They needed the extra hand.

Percy had decided that he and Simon would go off to find the guide while Leo set the new coordinates for Mexico. I was assigned the oh-so-important role of guard. Without me guarding the boat, Leo would have been killed by the skeletal wolves that were attacking.

As one pounced on me, I went to cut its head, but another had jumped onto my back and was gnawing on my hair. I barely managed to shove it off and stab its ribs apart before three more wolves took its place.

"Geez," I mumbled, "Aren't these things supposed to be dead?" I cut another head off when I heard a cackle. "Who's there?" I asked, the wolves had gone still.

Suddenly, out of a mist that had appeared out of nowhere, a large woman was floating towards me, her arms outreached. "Come my beautiful wolves...feed on this…scum…"

"Uh, excuse me….but who are you?" I said. Was there a goddess of dead wolves?

"I am Angelos! I rule all the female spirits of the underworld. Bow before me!" She cried.

"You're leading a pack of wolves you know."

She glared at me. A soft growl escaped her lips. "I am leading a pack of female wolves you uneducated demigod. I know your parentage. You're a child of Poseidon. A god…" She mocked.

"What's your deal? I'm a female!" I cried.

Angelos stroked her chin thoughtfully, "This is true. I might be willing to spare you. If you pass my tests."

"Well, what are your tests?"

"Are you dead? Are you or have you ever been a criminal or demon?"

Really? "Uh, no."

"Oh well. Prepare to die!"

"Wait!" I screamed "What have I done to offend you? Why are your wolves attacking us?" She chuckled and patted the head of one of her wolves. It glanced at me hungrily.

"You have been in my domain all night. You have been shown mercy by my not attacking earlier. I wanted to see if you had potential."

"Potential? For what?" I asked.

She chuckled, "I would tell you. But unfortunately, you're alive. We'll talk gain after you're in my uncle's domain."

The Underworld. I wasn't looking forward to that.

"Alright. So what's next? We fight one on one?" If we did, I was fairly certain that I could beat her.

"No my dear, we will fight. And by we, I mean you and my darling wolves."

Oh.

"Uh...yeah, is there I any way I wouldn't have to do that?" I could hold off the wolves for only so long. Eventually I would get too tired and they would tear me apart.

She chuckled evilly and was about to sic the wolves on me when an extreme blast of warmth radiated around us.

"Wha-what?" Angelos stuttered. She looked around frantically. Her wolves were itching at their bones. The temperature grew hotter and hotter, which was obviously bothering Angelos and the wolves.

"I don't" I began, but I caught sight of Leo inching his way towards Angelos. I smirked and continued, "know what you're talking about."

"You ignorant girl! It's as hot as Apollo on this ship! It will kill me!"

That's the plan I thought. Leo was close to her, his hands already flaming. Angelos sniffed and screamed an ear-piercing scream.

"How dare you trick me?" She shouted, whirling around. She saw Leo and he faltered, not expecting her to notice him.

"Hey there." He said, "I'm-I'm Leo Valdez. And I-"

"You're a boy!" Angelos cried.

"Yes...I am...I have been for a while now." Leo replied. The idiot.

She glared at him and summoned a wolf to her side. "How dare you speak to me like this? I am a goddess!"

Leo scoffed, "Well you must be a pretty lame one if I've never heard about you before."

Her face grew red, "I-I am the most important of them all! I lead the women into battle!"

"Well I'm pretty sure Artemis already has that covered."

"You're too stupid to understand boy! I lead the bravest female wolves around the world!"

"What about the cows? And the pigs? You can't forget about chickens either!" Leo cried, going into rant mode, "If you're going to lead female animals, you might as well lead them all! It could be like half of Noah's ark up in here!"

"I do not lead just any animal into whatever this Noah's ark is...I lead wolves!"

Leo sighed, "Alright, but I'm just curious as you why you chose the wolves? Like why not any other animals?"

Angelos groaned in frustration, "Enough of this! You will die by the hand of my feminine wolves!"

"Wolves have paws, not hands!"

"KILL HIM!"

Immediately the wolves jumped on him. He shrieked and began throwing fireballs. I sprang into action as well, summoning the water around us to sweep away the majority of the wolves. I didn't exactly think it through though because as soon as the water drenched the wolves, it also doused Leo's fire.

"Really?!"

"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking." I cried, grabbing my knives to fight off some wolves. He shook his head and brought out a hammer.

Leo slammed against the head of a wolf, and sucker punched two in the ribs. They collapsed to the ground, turning to dust before our eyes.

Angelos was still summoning wolves around us, cackling with delight.

"I'll take care of her. You get rid of the wolves." I told Leo. He nodded and took out more wolves.

I made, my way over to her, my knives glinting in the sunlight. "Let's go Angelos, just you and me."

She grinned, "I do not think so demigod. It has been foreseen that you are more powerful than I; I will not let you touch me."

"Lyla! I think I've killed all the wolves!" Leo cried. I glanced at him, a smile clear on his face.

"You see, I will play to your emotions, Lyla Hamilton." Angelos said. "I know of a boy on this ship, one that will kill you to see him die."

Tears began forming in my eyes.

"Lyla don't listen to her! She's trying to get in your head!" Leo cried from across the ship.

"Shut it!" Angelos screamed. She turned back to me. "Now, we could end his suffering, if you just let me defeat you. He will not be harmed."

I had a horrible feeling in my stomach. I knew exactly who she was talking about. And although there was nothing romantic about it at all, Leo's friendship with me was worth more than anything. I couldn't stand to see him get hurt.

"Alright. You can kill me. As long as you swear on the River Styx he will not be harmed!" I said, setting down my knives.

"Lyla, no!"

"Of course I do darling!" Angelos said happily. Then she pounced and pinned me down. Her teeth grew into razor blades, her smile gruesome. She opened her mouth and screamed in my face. Her breath was disgusting.

"Prepare to die!" She started with my arms, nibbling little bits of flesh off.

I honestly don't recall how I was reacting. But I think I was screaming, crying probably. .The pain was indescribable.

"Lyla!" I heard Leo say.

Angelos chuckled and murmured, "Your lover is calling for you Lyla..."

I didn't bother to correct her, since I couldn't really speak.

She had moved onto my face. Her teeth were scarring my cheeks and forehead. Before long, she got bored with that and moved onto my eyes. She was just about to pierce them, my screams filling up the vast quietness. When she gasped and blood began dripping from her mouth.

She fell onto the ground beside me, dead as a doorknob.

I couldn't sit up, couldn't feel anything. But I did feel my body being lifted my Leo. He held me in his lap and carried me into the ship.

He was talking to me. That much I could tell. My eyes were barely open, but from the small amount of vision was that he was crying.

Leo carried me to my room where he set me down and started healing my wounds. They stung a lot.

I could feel unconsciousness creeping up on me slowly. I promised myself that I wouldn't go to sleep until Leo left, so I wouldn't have to scare him. That would have been too horrible.

When he was done, he stared at me for a long time, he looked into my eyes. He told me about his mom and his life when he was young. I didn't react, because smiling or showing any emotion at all hurt my face. But I listened to his sad and beautiful story.

"Lyla…I…I feel horrible. When she started hurting you, I froze. I couldn't imagine that happening to you. I feel so stupid. I could have helped you sooner, I'm just so sorry-"

I stopped him by cupping his face in my hand. My eye lids began drooping.

He nodded, "Alright, I'll let you sleep. I'll check on you later."

With that I closed my eyes. But before the dreams could take me, I felt a surge of heat by my face.

Leo was really close to my ear. His breath smelled good in my nose. I smiled slightly.

"Lyla…" he whispered, "What are you doing to me?"

And he was gone.

** I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I had fun writing it! I kind sorta based the scene with Angelos chewing Lyla's flesh off Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 where Bellatrix was writing Mudblood on Hermione's arm. I thought it was a really heart wrenching scene. **

**Anyway, like I said, I'll be updating a lot more now! Look for the next update on Saturday! Tell your friends!**

**xxx**

**rosslynchandbeyond**


	8. I Go to a Party

**It's update day! Enjoy this chapter! **

**Chapter 8: I Go to a Party **

I woke with a skull splitting headache. It felt like I had been hit in head with Hephaestus' hammer. I tried sitting up, but as soon as I did, a wave of nausea almost knocked me out again. I groaned in pain.

"Be careful." I heard someone say. My eyes peeled open, revealing Leo sitting there, a smile on his face.

"How long have I been out?" I asked, cutting to the chase.

"About three days. We got sidetracked in Georgia yesterday, a stupid drakon attack, we're almost in Mexico." Leo explained.

"Did Percy and Simon find a guide?" I asked.

Leo nodded, "Yeah, she's not very good."

"She?"

He laughed, "Yep. If you ask me, I think she has a bit of a thing for Simon."

_Hmm. Maybe he'll leave me alone…_

"So, can I go upstairs?" I asked. I was ready to help with whatever was coming. "Can I meet her?"

Leo shook his head. "Sorry chick, you have to wait until we're sure you're okay. Plus, this girl, Mimi, is really shy. I haven't even spoken to her yet."

"Why haven't you?"

"As soon as she got on the boat, she went to her room. But-" he began fishing through his pockets. After several minute, he smiled and pulled out a golden coin. "It's a drachma. You can use it to contact anyone you know."

"Who would I-" and then it hit me. My mom. Tears welled in my eyes. I threw my arms around Leo. "Thank you so much!"

"Anything...for you." He whispered. "I'll show you how to do it." He stood up and went out into the hallway.

He came back a couple of minutes later with Simon. They were carrying a large fountain that was spouting crystal clear water.

"This will help you get a good reception." Leo explained. "Come here." I went over to him. He held out his hand for the drachma, which I gave to him nervously.

"O goddess, accept our offering!" He shouted and threw the drachma into the fountain. When it hit the water, it disappeared and in its place were golden sparkles. "Give her your address." he said.

I stepped up to the fountain and gave it my address. Almost immediately, I saw my kitchen. My mom was sitting at the kitchen table, her hands shaking. She was looking at pictures.

"Mom?" I said, glancing at Leo, asking for privacy. He nodded and left. "Mom, it's me Lyla."

She looked up and around, her blues eyes darting around wildly. Then she saw me, a wave of relief flooded her face.

"Lyla!" She ran towards me, "Oh Lyla, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner!"

"Mom! It's okay. I'm fine."

"Lyla dear, how is it? How is Camp Half-Blood?" It occurred to me she had been there before when she was younger, despite her being a mortal.

"It's beautiful, Mom."

"How's your training? Do you have any friends?"

I nodded, "Yeah. My training is going great. I...I decided to take up archery."

Her eyes sparkled with tears. "Oh my darling, I'm so proud of you. You look so much like your father."

"Mom...do you have a picture of him?" I asked. The answer was most likely a no, but I longed to see my father.

She sighed, "Yes Lyla, I do. It's...very close to my heart." She wobbled back to the table where she picked up the pictures she had been looking at. "This one is before you were born. Your father took a picture of me in our new apartment." She held it out to me. The picture held a younger looking version of my mother. Her hair was in a braid, the kind I use. Also in the picture was her large belly. It was huge and a small strip of skin was showing from the bottom of her shirt. She was really close to giving birth.

"This next one is after you were born. That's in the hospital." My mom's picture was tired, her hair was a wreck, but she couldn't have looked happier. In her arms was a baby, a very tiny one. Her body was smaller than a loaf of bread. The baby had little tufts of dark hair, and bright green eyes. It was hard to believe I ever looked that small.

"And this last one is my favorite. It's your father, holding you in the hospital. This was…a few months before he left." When she showed me this picture, it took all I had to not break down. The man in the picture was handsome. He had shaggy black hair. His green eyes went well with his perfectly tanned skin. His smile was charming and bright. No wonder my mom fell for him.

"He looks like Percy." I murmured.

She smiled, "Yes. I've met Percy. He's a gorgeous boy. Be sure not to fall for him."

I laughed, "Of course not, Mom. Besides, I...I have my eye on someone else."

"Who is this now? The nice looking boy who was in there earlier?"

"Mom!"

"What!?" She laughed, "It's not my fault! So do you?"

"I'm not ready to answer that question." I replied.

"Still as stubborn as ever." She said.

I smirked, "So what's been going on with you?"

She told me about how life had changed since I'd left. My school had shut down for good; I guess they were fed up with all the incidents. Juniper was still missing; Mom apparently had known that Juniper was supposed to protect me.

"I wish I could have told you how much she did. She protected you from so many monsters...it was frightening, Lyla."

"I get it, Mom. You don't have to explain." I answered. I bit my lip nervously, as her image wavered. "I believe our time together is wrapping up."

"Lyla! I'll miss you! I'll see you again, once summer is over. Be sure to tell Leo that-" from that point on, her words were jumbled as her image finally faded.

Leo came back inside my room, his face was sad. "It's nice to know you and your mom are so close." He sat down on my bed.

"Oh Leo, I'm sorry. Were...were you listening?" I asked.

He blushed, "What? NO! I mean…I heard most of your conversation. Who's this guy you have your eye on? Can I beat him up?"

I scoffed, "No, it's no one. I just wanted her to get off my chest. Thanks again, you know, for lending me the drachma."

"It's alright. I have no one to call with it."

Even though he meant for that comment to be innocent, it struck a chord in me. It made me sad to think he didn't have any real close friends to call, or any family, or even a girlfriend.

"Hey Lyla, are you done talking to your mom?" Percy asked, coming into my room. I nodded and he sat down in the chair.

"Alright, so while you were out, we discovered a few things. Like, once we hit the Mexican border, we'll have to go across land. Also, we're heading for the Western coast. Mimi says there's a powerful aura in that area that could help us."

I nodded, "Sounds good. Now can I get some food?"

Percy laughed, "Were you listening at all?"

"Of course I was! You said something about cheeseburgers right?"

He rolled his eyes, "I'll tell you when you're less hungry. I'll go get your food. Leo, keep her company." He started walking out, but turned back around, "But not too much company…"

Leo blushed and I laughed out loud (LOL). "That's not funny…" Leo mumbled.

"We'll I think it's funny." I replied. He fake punched me in the arm.

Our first night in Mexico was fun.

Percy decided we all deserved a night out, so we docked and went to a festival in town.

Simon went earlier and found out it was a formal event. Why it was a formal event, I'm not sure. None of us brought anything formal so we decided to go into the town and buy something.

"Why do we even have to go?" Leo groaned.

"Because! I'm ready for a break and I want to have fun!" Percy replied.

Leo nodded, but he didn't look happy about it. "Fine. I'll be ready to leave in five." I assumed he was going to attempt to wipe his face of the grease that was always on there.

"We'll I'm ready to go." I said.

"We'll go ahead then." Simon said suddenly. "Leo and Percy can meet up with us later."

I shrugged, "sure."

And so that's where we were now, Simon and I, walking down the cobbled paths of Puerto Rivera.

"We haven't talked in a while." Simon said.

"No, we haven't."

"I'm sorry if I came on too strong before. It just comes naturally, with Nike being my mom and all."

I smiled, "I expected it. Kind of. Is it okay if we're just friends for now though?"

"Of course! So, being the best friend I am, I am requiring you to tell me what's going on between you and Leo."

"Uh...I don't know. Maybe if you tell me about your love life."

Simon blushed. "Ha...ha ha...um...no..."

"Come on!"

"Maybe later, I'm...just..."

"It's okay; you don't have to tell me yet."

Simon nodded, thankful for his release.

"Will you tell me about the guide? Leo says she's-"

"Shy? Well she is. She hasn't come out of her room since she arrived."

"Is she any nice at all?"

Simon nodded, "She's plenty nice. But, a bit weird. I don't think she's coming with us tonight."

"Oh, well I would have loved getting to know her."

We made it to a small boutique that was on the coast line.

"Welcome to Puerto Rivera Boutique. How can I help you?" The cashier asked.

Simon nodded, "Yeah, we're looking for something nice to wear at the festival tonight."

"Ooh! Well we have a great choice of tuxedos for men; Pablo over there can help you." Simon went over to Pablo. "And you come tell me your size and I'll find some dresses for you."

Oh great, dresses. "Okay." So I told her my size and she picked out several dresses for me.

I tried one on that was way too tight in the cheat area, and way too much cleavage was showing.

Another one I tried on was just dead ugly.

After I tried on many dresses, I was tired. I had lost most of my hope. _Maybe I'll just go naked. _I thought.

It was painstakingly simple, but beautiful. The dress was a soft green color. A bow was wrapped around the waist. It hugged me in all the right places, and it wasn't too flashy. Plus, I could move around in it easily, perfect for if a monster attacked while we were there. **(A/N FORESHADOWING)**

I smiled and hung it back up. "I think I'll take this one." I said to the cashier.

"Good choice!" She said happily.

"Lyla!"

I whipped around and saw the guys all holding their tuxes.

"Way to take forever girly girl." Leo said.

I rolled my eyes, "Whatever Burned Brain, at least I'll look good in my outfit."

Percy snickered, "let's get something to eat, I'm starving."

"Preaching to the choir!" Leo cried, running down the street.

Once we had our meal, it was time to get ready. We returned to the ship and proceeded to get ready for the festival.

I went to my room, and took a long bath. Then I dried my hair and since I didn't have any other way, I braided it in my normal braid. Then I slipped my dress on. I smiled at my reflection, but frowned at my feet.

I didn't think of shoes. Shrugging, I tugged on my converse. It looked fine. But taking another look in the mirror I realized that it probably wouldn't be enough.

So I did the unthinkable. I put on makeup. Yeah crazy right? I didn't even bring it with me. I'm pretty sure Piper slid it into my pack when we were talking that day on the beach.

When I was done, I went to the upper deck when three young men were waiting for me. True to Simon's word, Mimi was nowhere to be found.

I grinned at Percy who looked as food as ever in his tux. Simon, with his hopelessly good looks, also looked great in his suit. But Leo...

My eyes landed on him and I didn't recognize him at first. He looked so...mature. His body type worked really well with the tux he had chosen. His curly hair was slightly tamed. In all honesty...Leo looked hot.

Of course I didn't notice him staring me until I finished ogling him. Simon was too. Percy noticed this and frowned, "Don't look at her like that, that's my sister."

I blushed and giggled. "Are we going or what?"

"Y-yeah." Leo said, bright faced.

We walked in silence to the party that was going on in the town's main square. When we arrived, I was pleased to see a large food booth.

There was also a stage where a mariachi band was playing. Couples were dancing in front of the stage.

"I'll go get us a table." Simon said, walking off.

"Okay, I'll go see what else there is to do..." Percy said, leaving me and Leo alone.

"So, wanna dance?" Leo asked.

"How blunt. Sure." I replied, yet I couldn't ignore the stupid butterflies that wiggled around when his hand grabbed mine, pulling me to the dance floor.

We started dancing to the upbeat tune, laughing when one of us would do an idiotic dance move. Probably three sons later, we were worn out, so we went to the table Simon had claimed. Percy was nibbling a piece if his pizza, which naturally made Leo hungry, causing him to go get some food.

When he was gone, Percy started questioning me. "So you and Leo huh?"

"What?! No!" I cried.

He narrowed his eyes all suspicious like, "Alright, but if anything does happen, just know I'll kick his butt if he hurts you."

"Of course you will." I said, barely being interrupted by a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see a tall guy, blonde, with a super tan.

"Hey, want to dance?"

I glanced at Percy who shrugged. I joined the guy on the floor.

He smiled at me, a creepy smile. That made me wish I hadn't agreed to do this.

"So, what brings you to Mexico?"

"I'm..." I tried to think of something that wouldn't cause suspicion. I looked at our table and saw Leo, eating taco. "I'm busting my boyfriend."

"Oh. Are you guys exclusive?"

Seriously? "Yeah, we are."

"Then why'd you agree to dance with me?"

That's a good question. I tried pulling away from him, desperate to be with my friends again.

"Hey, let's not get carried away..." The guy said who was now growing horns. His eyes became red. Crap.

"Uh, I have to go."

"Not so fast!"

"Let go of m!" I shrieked. He gripped my wrists tightly.

"I don't think so."

"I said let go!"

"Hmm, nope." He started pulling me towards a dark and empty looking building. Oh no.

We got inside and then he started growing, it was nothing intense, just a few inches every minute or so. But as he grew he was...well he was kissing me.

It was disgusting.

I did try kicking him in the balls, but he wouldn't react. It was like he didn't have any. Wait.

Suddenly a banging on the door ceased his kisses.

"Lyla! Are you in here?"

"Yeah Leo, I need some help in here."

The guy growled and back away from me which gave me a chance to pull out my hidden knife.

He bared his teeth and whispered, "You're going to need more than a puny knife to defeat me."

"I don't think so. See, I'm not just any demigod. I'm a daughter of Poseidon."

He scoffed, "You think I don't know that? That's why I brought you here, so you couldn't use water to kill me." And he pounced. I jumped out of the way just in time though, leaping up to a rafter above. He began clawing at my feet, but I would threaten his fingers with my knife to get him to move.

I was near the end of the rafter when he reached too high and tore my dress. I cried out and fell to the ground. "Get away from me!" I said, as he turned completely into a Minotaur.

He chuckled darkly, "No my dear. I don't think so."

He advanced towards me, a smirk evident on his ugly face.

If Percy ever taught me anything, it was that I had to watch to see what kind of swordsman my opponent was. The Minotaur was a clear offensive player. So I would have to too.

I rolled on my stomach before he could stab me with his horns. I stood up, and, aiming for his back, stabbed him quickly through his chest.

He screamed, a horrible, terrifying scream. I expected him to wail for several more minutes, but he died almost immediately. The Minotaur turned to a pile of purple dust.

Leo burst in, looking worried. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, "yeah I'm good."

"Did you just kill a monster?"

"Yep."

"Cool. Let's dance some more."

We got out to the dance floor just as a slow song began. Talk about awkward.

It was one of my favorite songs though, Jar of Hearts. For some reason it really spoke to me.

Leo's face was bright red as he placed his hands on my hips. I wrapped my hands around his neck.

While we swayed we talked.

"Leo, I really need to thank you. If it wasn't for your help, I wouldn't be here."

"Oh come on, you would have been able to sneak on without my help." Leo replied.

I shook my head, "I guess, but you also made me feel somewhat welcome. And you make me laugh which is a plus."

He grinned his devil grin which I had come to love.

"You're still thanking me even though you've only gotten hurt on this quest."

I laughed, "Yes, I am."

I pulled him closer and whispered, "You're basically awesome."

"Basically." He whispered back. "Lyla..."

"Yes Leo?"

"You look beautiful tonight."

I blushed and bit my lip, "Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself."

He laughed, "I think you mean I look smoking."

I smiled and pulled away from him. "Are you ready to go back?"

He nodded and took my hand, "Let's go."

** I like this chapter a lot because of all the cute little moments between Leo and Lyla. But, it was kind of hard to come up with a main theme for this chapter so I combined a lot of themes of things that were a long time coming. If you want to see what Lyla looks like and what her dress looks like, the link is in my bio. **

** I don't have any ideas for the next chapter so if you really want something, I'll consider it! :) **

** Next update is on Wednesday! **

** xxx **

**rosslynchandbeyond**


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